Arizona Wildfire Claims 19 Firefighters

On Sunday, a raging blaze in Yarnell Hill, AZ, became the deadliest incident for firefighters since 9/11 and the worst for wildland fires since 1933, according to National Fire Protection Association records. Nineteen firefighters died battling the wildfire, which has burned 2,000 acres and destroyed about 200 homes since Friday. A helicopter pilot discovered the bodies.

Mike Reichling, Arizona State Forestry Division spokesman, said 19 fire shelters were deployed, and some bodies were found inside of them and others outside. Although the shelters, which resemble foil tents, are used as last resorts to cover firefighters under intense conditions, there's only about a 50% chance the person inside each shelter will survive, says Dan Fraijo, the fire chief in nearby Prescott, AZ. Fraijo also said 18 of the deceased were part of the elite Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshots crew. "We're devastated," Fraijo said. "We just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet."

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"This is as dark a day as I can remember," said Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. "When a tragedy like this strikes, all we can do is offer our eternal gratitude to the fallen and prayers for the families and friends left behind. God bless them all." She also acknowledged that it may be a while before investigators find out exactly how the tragedy occurred.

"They were heroes," President Obama said in a statement, "highly skilled professionals who, like so many across our country do every day, selflessly put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet." He went on to recognize that hundreds of people have been fighting blazes in the Southwest and that he sends his thoughts and prayers to the families of all firefighters.

The friends and relatives of the 19 crew members are in our thoughts. Share your condolences in the comments below.